PMD: Heroes Against Darkness
by ThunderNova
Summary: Zephyr has awoken in the world of pokemon. With a voice telling him to save two worlds, can he, along with his new friend, Darren, succeed? Along with truths and ideals, they plan to persevere. But when a sinister shadow tells them of an upcoming terror, they will have to make a choice...
1. A shiny, new friend

**This is my first story, and I hope you enjoy it. Please do the poll, it will help with the story.**

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_What? Where am I_? Those were the first thoughts that entered Zephyr's mind. He appeared to be in a swirling, colourful vortex. He then heard a voice. Zephyr… help… a voice called out. _Huh? Who said that? _Zephyr thought, startled. He hoped he wasn't going mad. Then again, he was currently floating in nothing. He probably **was** already mad. Zephyr… the voice said again. You… must… help… two worlds… from a… danger… _What danger?! _he thought. _What do you want from me? _Goodbye… we will… see each other… again… _Wait! Don't leave!_ Zephyr was panicking. But it was to late. The voice was gone, and Zephyr found himself falling… and falling… deep into the void.

"Hello? Wake up! Please! Are you hurt? Don't worry, we have some good doctors here. Just please, wake up!

The stream of questions hit Zephyr like a giant wave. He groaned and slowly opened his eyes. When he did, he found… an axew?! And not just any axew; it was shiny!

"Your… your a…" But he couldn't say anything, as the axew was exploding with even more questions.

"FINALLY! I've been shouting for ages! Who are you? What is your name? How did you get here?" He went on for a few moments, then stopped to get his breath.

"F-First of all…" Zephyr stammered, "Y-your a talking axew?" The axew looked confused.

"Huh? There's nothing special about that. I mean.. your a talking pikachu!" _What?_

Zephyr found a puddle and looked into it. He gasped. Because right there in the pool, there was a pikachu.

"GAH!" Zephyr screamed. "I-I'm a pikachu!" The axew shrugged. "That seems pretty normal to me. I've seen many other pikachu before, but none were as crazy as you."

_I…I must be going mad! _ Zephyr thought, starting to panic again. But he soon came to his senses and realized all of this was not a hallucination.

"Man." said the axew, "you sure are acting funny."

"No… no i'm fine" Zephyr stammered again. What could he say? That he was not from here? That he was not a real pokemon?

The axew frowned. "Hey…um…what's your name?" "Z-Zephyr…" Zephyr replied. "Well… OK Zephyr… are you sure your fine? Like I said, there are some good doctors here. There's also a pokemon that sells herbs. That might help you. She's very nice. Pretty too. Maybe I can- "

"No! I'm fine!" Zephyr said again, "I'm just… going over shock, that's all." The axew looked at him curiously. "And why would that be?"

_Should I tell him? _Zephyr thought. _He seems nice enough… but would he believe me? _He told him anyway.

"Look… I'm not really a pokemon. I don't know why I'm here, or if I'm suppose to be here, but all I know is that that I used to be a human, and now I'm a pikachu."

The axew just gaped at him. _He doesn't believe me does he? _Zephyr thought, his face going red. But to his surprise, the axew grabbed him and started to prance around.

"YAHOO!" The axew almost screamed. "I knew I wasn't the only one like me!" "W-What?" Zephyr said, confused.

"I'm not around here either. Just like you, I woke up on the ground. Just. Like. YOU!" The axew was completely giddy with joy. And Zephyr had about enough of it.

"Alright." He said. "I'm like you. Got it. Now you could you please let go of me." "What? Oh! Sorry! The axew let go of him. After Zephyr cleaned himself up, the axew surprised him with another question.

"Do you want to be friends?"

"…Friends?" Zephyr repeated slowly. " Yes. Friends." the axew answered. "We could have lots of fun."

Part of Zephyr wanted to say no. He didn't want to be caught in one of his bear hugs again. But… at the same time, he really liked the axew. He was cheerful and very talkative. And while he seemed annoying, there was something about him that seemed… special.

"Alright" Zephyr decided. "Let's be friends" "GREAT!" the axew shouted. "Trust me, we will have a great time together"

Zephyr smiled. "I think so too. But first.. what's your name?"

"Oh!" the axew exclaimed. " I can't believe I almost forgot! The name is Darren. _Darren… that's a nice name._ Zephyr thought. And together they set off, both of the new friends sure that everyday will be an adventure for them.

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**Thanks for reading this! Don't forget to do the poll. I'm open to any advice.**


	2. Wobbuffet Plaza: Business and Bullies

Sometimes Zephyr thought that his friendship with Darren was a bit rushed, but then the thought always disappeared almost exactly at the time it popped into his mind. _We are friends. _He thought. _And friends stick together. _When they were walking, Zephyr learned a few more things about Darren.

"I don't exactly remember much." he had said. "But there was one thing that was very clear to me, something about… a world… filled with chaos… pretty weird huh?" The statement had made Zephyr shudder. He didn't want to think about it, but it seemed eerily similar to what the mysterious voice had said.

_Save two worlds… how could i possibly do that?_ But Zephyr took the thought out of his mind, as the duo reached a clearing and found a nice village.

"Ah" Darren said. "Here it is. Wobbuffet Plaza!"

To Zephyr, it looked like paradise. Happy pokemon were playing on the fields; there were shops with lots of interesting goods. But most extraordinary was a giant wobbuffet stutue in the centre of the village.

"See that?" Darren exclaimed. "That's a statue of Walter Wobbus, the founder of this village. That was decades ago! But you don't want me ranting on about this do you? Let's look at the shops!"

The first shop they went to was a small house with a vending counter filled with lots of herbs. Then a sleek servine came out of the door. Zephyr gasped. Darren was right. She was pretty. She fixed her eyes on Darren.

"Why hello Darren." she said quietly. "You've been gone for quite a while."

Darren turned red. "Um… you see… I found this pikachu on the ground…" The servine turned to look at Zephyr.

"And he's the one i presume?" It was Zephyr's turn to blush. "Uh… yeah…"

The servine laughed. "There's no need to be nervous! Let me introduce myself. My name is Ivy."

_Nice name. _Zephyr thought. "Hi… my name is Zephyr"

Ivy smiled. "Well then… hello Zephyr. If you don't know already, I sell herbs, so if you ever feel sick or your going on a long journey just find me."

"IIIIIIVVVVVVVVYYYYYYYYY" A high pitch voice called out.

"Oh!" Ivy exclaimed. "You haven't met my sister yet. Come in, Petal!"

A small snivy ran in. "Hiya!" She squeaked.

"Petal, say hello to Darren and his new friend, Zephyr.

"Nice to meet you!"

"WILL SOMEONE SHUT THAT DARN THING UP!" a cranky voice shouted in a neighbouring shop, and out came a meowth.

Ivy sighed. "I would like you (not really) to meet Furnanzo. He runs the general store."

"What are you two kids doing at **her **shop?!" Furnanzo snapped. "You should be here, in **my** shop, which actually sells good things, not that horrid thing of a shop that sells disgusting herbs!"

"THEY ARE NOT DISGUSTING!" Petal screamed "AND DON"T TALK TO MY SISTER LIKE THAT!" Then she tackled Furnanzo.

"Wha? OUCH! Hey, stop that! Help! Somebody!" Furnanzo cried out as Petal beat him up.

"Petal!" Ivy said."Please, let go of him! Come on you two!" she said to Zephyr and Darren. Together, they managed to pry the raging snivy away from Furnanzo.

"LET ME GO!" she screamed again. "THAT BULLY DESERVES IT!"

Ivy looked up and frowned. "Speaking of bullies… you might want to leave now…" Everyone turned their heads to the scene in froth of them. A gabite, golett and drilber were pushing a sneasel around.

"C'mon fuzzball!" the gabite taunted, "Get up and fight!" "Yeah!" the golett and drilbur said in unison.

"The name's Shade." The sneasel muttered. "Yeah, whatever, Fuzzball."

Furnanzo walked back to his store.

"Oh no." he said. "I don't want any part of this."

"We should be going too. See you guys later!" Ivy said as she carried Petal, who didn't put up a fight anymore.

Darren looked nervous. "Let's go too." he said

"But we should help him!" Zephyr said. Darren's eyes widened.

"Are you meaning we should fight Rex?!" he exclaimed. The gabite turned his head at the sound of his name.

"You talking about me?" he asked. Zephyr looked straight at him.

"Yes, and I say you should stop doing that… or else…" Rex's eyes narrowed. "Or else what?" Zephyr was torn between choices. But then he decided. _It's now or never _he thought.

"Or else I'll have to stop you." he said. Rex laughed. "Bad idea Cheese-face. And what about Sparkles? Is he gonna' help you?" Zephyr looked at Darren pleadingly. Darren sighed.

"We are friends" he said. " What he does I do too." Rex looked at them both.

"Well then." he said coldly "Looks like you will both be very messed up today."

"Clayton! Molan!" he signalled to the golett and drilbur. "I'll do this myself." Then he charged.


	3. A Vision, a Show and a Talk

**After some advice, I will now try and extend my stories more. This chapter also focuses more on Darren and a new character, Darkrai, along with more info on the story's plot. Of course, it won't be that serious, so say hello to Meloetta!**

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There was no way to stop the force of the blow. After a few moments, Zephyr and Darren were on the ground, Rex closing in on them.

"Aw c'mon!" he complained. "If you wanted to battle me you should be able to fight properly!"

"Just wait 'till I get up…" Darren muttered, "And I'll beat you down…" But in his heart he knew that was not possible. Rex had more experience in battles then him. Then again, Darren had never had a battle in his life! Or did he… But he never had a chance to ponder it.

"Watch out!" Zephyr had cried but it was too late. Rex slammed into him and everything went black.

When Darren opened his eyes, he was introduced with a ghastly sight. He was in a wasteland, completely barren, and -to Darren's horror- there were bones. It was a sight he didn't want to see, but he just stood there, transfixed. Then he heard a hiss and whipped around, finding an even more horrible sight. There was a strange creature before him; it was mostly a purple substance, but solid enough to see that it had long, stretched wings, and cruel, merciless red eyes. And Darren realized it was a shadow.

He had heard many stories of them in Wobbuffet Plaza; enough to hope it was not true. Nobody knew exactly what a shadow was; some say they were deceased pokemon gone bad. Others said they were an entire different race. Whatever it was, they could take over a pokemon's body and transform it into a shadow pokemon, who's hearts were as dark as night. Darren didn't want anything to do with this shadow. But then it began to speak.

Darren… The shadow hissed. Do not trust the… pokemon… Zephyr…

_W-Why? _Darren said in his mind. He listens to… voices… stay away…

_But what if I don't want to? _Darren said defiantly. He decided he will not trust the shadow. And besides… Zephyr and him were friends!

The shadow narrowed it's eyes. If you don't… I will make you! And the shadow striked.

"ENOUGH!" "What? AAH!" "Darren! Wake up! Wake up!"

The voices confused Darren. He opened his eyes. Zephyr was beside him, Rex was unconscious and there was one more…

_Darkrai! _The realization dawned on him. Then came an uneasiness. He had avoided Darkrai many times. Many said he was evil before, but lost his memory sometime and is OK now. But there was still something unnerving about him… and after his vision with the shadow… he began to notice something else about him. Something… about shadow…

"Are you OK?" Zephyr asked. Darren almost forgot he was there.

"…Yeah, I'm fine." Zephyr sighed with relief. "Good. If it weren't for Darkrai here, we would of been goners."

Darkrai stared hard at the two of them.

_Does he suspect anything about us? _Darren thought nervously, _He may know about the shadow… I should talk to him later…_

Zephyr looked at his friend in concern. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

_Should I tell him or not? _He really wanted to say everything, but with all the stress Zephyr had been through, this revelation might be a bit to much.

"Nah, I'm fine, just a little bit dazed that's all."

"OK. Man, did you see Darkrai? He literally scared the living day-lights out of Rex and his dummies!"

"Sorry to interrupt." Darkrai said, "But don't you want to see Meloetta's concert tonight?"

"OH NO!" Darren said. He completely forgot about it! "C'mon Zephyr, you really don't want to miss this!"

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The duo made it jut in time. The show was about to start. _This is a good way to relax._ Darren thought. There were pokemon gathered around everywhere, chatting and cheering along with many other things. But everyone went quiet as the curtains on the stage opened and the most beautiful song in the world was heard. It filled everyone with a sweet sensation, as if everything didn't matter, as long as this song played your entire life. Then Meloetta came through the curtains. Everyone gasped in awe, especially the males. Here was a pokemon that Darren found more pretty than Ivy. She had an elegant body, bright blue eyes, and the brightest smile ever. And after a few moments of singing, she began to change form.

Her hair flowed through a headpiece like music notes, until they wrapped together to make a nice bun. Her sleek dress changes into a new, ballet type one. And when she stopped singing, she ended the performance with a dance. The crowd provided an enormous applause.

Meloetta then grabbed a microphone. "Hello fans and friends!" her voice boomed through the microphone. "I hope you enjoyed todays show!" The crowd roared their approval.

"Great!" she said, "Also, today we have a special guest today! Lets here it for… Guildmaster Wigglytuff!

"WHAT?!" Darren said in disbelief. Many other pokemon were murmuring to each other.

"Really?" I can't believe it!" "Will he fall asleep again?" "I want to see a YOOM-TAH!"

Then everyone went quiet as the wigglytuff entered, then began to cheer.

"Why hello everybody!" Guildmaster Wigglytuff said, "Don't worry, I won't fall asleep this time; I had a lot of apples today! Of course, if anyone still has an apple, I'll gladly take it!"

"That's all very nice and everything." Meloetta said quite patiently, "But how about the real reason you came hear?"

"What? Oh, of course. The reason I'm here… is to accept new teams for my guild!"

This shocked everyone to silence.

"I can't believe it!" Darren exclaimed, "We can make a team!"

"I'm in." Zephyr said, this time confident in his choice.

"Team registration starts tomorrow, so you have plenty of time to make plans. That's all for now." And on that final note, the concert ended.

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Darren let Zephyr sleep in his house, but didn't sleep with him. He wanted to talk to somebody. And while he didn't want to tell Zephyr about his vision, he was sure Darkrai had some answers.

"This is very bad." That is all Darkrai said after Darren explained what happened. "I don't know if that was a shadow or not but what I do know is that there is something very wrong with this picture."

"What about Zephyr?" Darren said, impatient. It took long enough for him to get Darkrai to talk; he didn't open the door until Darren screamed at it. He didn't want him to end this conversation quickly, even though he still unnerved him. Then Darkrai spoke again.

"I don't know much about Zephyr, other than he seems to be vital to the problem. Trust me, I've experienced this before." He then paused, and said something that troubled Darren greatly. " I've seen a shadow before."

"You have?" Darren said incredulously. Darkrai's face seemed to darken.

'Yes, it's what caused me to go evil in the first place." Darren gasped. _So Darkrai really was bad before! _Darren thought. He knew Darkrai's evil was gone now, but he still couldn't help but be suspicious. Darkrai caught the look on his face.

"I assure you all evil is gone… or thats what everyone else thinks…" Darren gulped.

"But don't worry, I also have no idea what's going on either, and I don't plan on improving it in a bad way." He seemed to think for a moment.

"I'm sorry to say that I have no knowledge whatsoever about this, perhaps Zephyr may have answers?"

Darren nodded. He was disappointed that he had learned nothing of his vision, but agreed with Darkrai; Zephyr may have the answers.

Suddenly, Petal came into the room, panicking.

"QUICK! To Darren's house!"

Darkrai was immediately alert. "What is the problem?"

"It's Zephyr! she said, panting "He's having a nightmare!"

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**I hoped you enjoyed the story. Yes, this darkrai is from PMD: Explorers of Time/Darkness. I'm sorry if Darkrai and Wigglytuff's personalities are incorrect, I don't pay much attention to that. Next story will focus on Zephyr again. Please do the poll!**


	4. A Raid of Shadows

**Sorry for the gap between chapters; many delays. This chapter will focus on Zephyr again… and introduce a little more about the plot. Hope you enjoy!**

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_Zephyr… we meet again…_ Zephyr opened his eyes. He was floating again.

"You!" He exclaimed. He almost forgot about this voice.

_I said we would meet again… I've come… to remind you… about your… priority… to save… our worlds…_

"I'm sorry." Zephyr said, "But I didn't get very much information on it… so I didn't know what to do…"

_There's no time… the world could fall at any day… you MUST help…_

"But…" Zephyr began. Then suddenly, a bitter cold fell upon Zephyr, then he was teleported away, into a cold, pitch black emptiness.

"What? Where…" But he was cut off, as a new being entered the void. It was like a spirit; no actual solid body, but it's essence flowed through the void, giving Zephyr a feeling of dread. Then it's red eyes locked onto him.

_Zephyr… you would do better to not trust that voice… the evil spoken about… is not important…_

"What do you mean it's not important!" Zephyr cried back, "It said the world will be destroyed!"

_That is NOTHING!_ The void rippled from the power. _There is a much worst terror coming to the world… one that will tear your friends apart… if you don't…believe_ _me... ill have to show you…_ Then Zephyr had a vision.

He saw the world he knew as a pokemon in ruins. There was an army, leaden raids upon raids into the village, leaving no trace of living activity behind. Then he was transported to a dark cave, where their was a horrific sight. All the village inhabitants were tied up, being shoved into a dark cell.

Then he saw a room filled with mean-looking pokemon, and in the middle was Meloetta, being forced to dance for them. Her face was filled with defiance, but one thing seemed to be missing. Hope. Zephyr knew that they had no belief that anyone could save them, giving in to the darkness. It filled Zephyr with anger. He wanted to cry out that he was there, but of course, couldn't.

_This is what's ahead for you if you don't stop it…_ the shadowy spirit said.

"What do I do to stop it?" Zephyr asked. He immediately regretted saying it as the shadowy figure seemed to smile.

_You must stop the monster who started it all…_ and Zephyr was sent to a cold palace, made up of billions ice, and in the centre was a throne, occupied by a terrifying figure. The behemoth was a dark grey, parts of it's body frozen in ice. It was smiling cruelly, it's eyes just as cold as the chilling aura it was giving out.

_To stop it… you must seek the help of two legendary pokemon… who wait in a dimension normally unaccessible… unless you have the right help… go to Castle Hallow… find a map… it will show you the right path…_ And with that, the shadow was gone.

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"Is he all right?" "He's still moaning." "Do you think he's…" "He is not dead ok?" "QUIET! He's waking up!"

When Zephyr opened his eyes he was surrounded by a crowd. Almost everyone he knew and a few others were there, except for Rex and his cronies.

"Your awake!" Darren exclaimed, relieved. "We were almost going to make you eat an herb…"

Ivy looked offended. "They're not that bad…" She said in exasperation.

Zephyr laughed. This scene looked almost normal. Almost.

"I need to talk with Darren… and Darkrai." The crowd went silent. They stared at Darkrai warily. Surprisingly it was Furnanzo who broke the silence.

"Okay everyone give him space!" he said. Soon everyone left, and Zephyr explained his talk with the voice and shadow. Darren turned pale when he mentioned the shadow, and - with some prompting from Darkrai - he explained his vision.

"Why didn't you tell me in the first place?" he demanded.

"You had a lot of other stressful things at the moment." Darren said, "I didn't want to add that to your list of worries."

"Well it **still** has me worried."

"That is quite enough." Darkrai interrupted, "Carry on Zephyr."

So Zephyr told them everything else; the villagers now slaves, the evil monster and the map in Castle Hallow. Darren's eyes widened.

"Castle Hallow?!" he cried, "That place is haunted!"

"It is?" Zephy asked in surprise. Darren nodded.

"It's filled with ghost pokemon, and everyone who went there never returned…"

Zephyr gulped. "That sounds pretty bad, but there's one other thing that I don't understand, why did the shadow tell Darren not to trust me, then tell me to save everyone?"

"It's to tear your friendship apart." said Darkrai, "Or perhaps just to create chaos. Which leads us to the next question" Zephyr and Darren already knew what was next.

"Who will you listen to? The voice, or the shadow?"

They were silent for a moment, then Darren spoke.

"I would normally trust the voice…" he began, "But the shadow gave us all the information we needed, while the voice didn't say anything much. But the shadow seemed like it was relaxed; it seemed that the only problem was getting you to help, while the voice sounded like it was urgent, like there wasn't anytime."

_He's right. _Zephyr thought, but then Darren was talking again.

"Anyway, this is all very confusing, and this world isn't normal is it?" He then yawned.

"You should sleep now." Darkrai said, "We can talk later, right now you need rest."

_He's acting like we're little kids! _thought Zephyr, but a few seconds later he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Zephyr woke from a nightmare of the future terror again. He knew it was probably the shadow urging him to follow it, but he still couldn't help but feel that he wanted to do the shadow's request more than the voice's. After Darren woke up they left for the door, and what greeted them outside was unpleasant; Rex and his gang were out early.

"I normally don't go out this early." he said, "But for you I'll make an exception." He bared his teeth.

"Let's finish what we started eh?" He aimed a punch at Zephyr. Zephyr dodged it in time.

"Will you give us a break?" he protested. Rex lunged again.

"Nope." he replied. "And with no Darkrai to back you up it's going to be much quicker." Darren went in front of Zephyr.

"Don't you have anything else to do other than this?" he asked. Rex put his claw on his chin as if thinking.

"Actually, no, I don't." He tried to hit them again and this time it made contact; both Zephyr and Darren were down on the ground. He was about to do one last punch when a stance sensation went over him, and for a second, he saw a world filled with blood and screams. He staggered back, and he then saw a riolu go down a tree and was headed straight for them.

"Well if it isn't the war-girl!" he sneered. He pointed to the pokemon's scars. The riolu glared at him.

"Leave them alone Rex…" she said, pointing at Zephyr and Darren. Rex grinned.

"No can do miss, they're mine, and you stay away if you don't want more scars." The riolu narrowed her eyes, and Rex started to get nervous.

"I mean, what thing do those idiots do that is so special?" The riolu turned to Darren. She stared hard at him, then produced a blue sphere of energy. She looked at it first, then locked eyes on Rex. Rex's eyes widened and - realizing what's happening - began to run. But the riolu was already throwing the sphere and in a few seconds hit Rex square on the back.

The sphere exploded on impact, blasting Rex a great distance away from where he was before. When Zephyr saw this he just stared in awe, amazed at the power of the blast. Then the riolu turned on him. He gulped. If the riolu was this powerful, he didn't want too meet her now. But to his shock, the riolu grabbed Darren instead.

"And what did you think **you** were doing?!" Zephyr was surprised at how quiet the riolu was, yet how dangerous she sounded. Darren was scared.

"W-We didn't have a choice!" he stammered, "And we were both very tired…" The riolu put him on the ground roughly.

"Just… don't expect me to help you next time…" And with that, she left. Darren rubbed his head.

"Man… she's upset today…"

"Who is she anyway?" Zephyr asked.

Darren's eyes widened.

"Oh yeah, your new here! Well, her name is Kate. The pokemon said she was found wounded at the entrance. She wouldn't talk much, except for one word, 'Leo…" Zephyr was filled with fascination as Darren continued.

"She still doesn't say much, and tends to be cold, but one thing's for sure; she's a tough fighter!" Zephyr nodded. He wondered what her origin was, but knew he would never get an answer.

The duo decided to go and register themselves as a team, but when they got to Wigglytuff's place, he was gone. When they asked where he was, they didn't know, leaving the two very troubled.

"Maybe he's looking for apples?" Darren said, but didn't really believe it. Knowing they couldn't do much, they spent the rest of the day walking around the village, and it was afternoon when they heard an explosion.

* * *

"What's going on?!" Darren asked to a fleeing villager. He said something that chilled them both.

"There's a raid!" But he couldn't say anything else, as another explosion was heard, and an army approached the centre of the village.

"Pawniards!" The raiders were mostly small, armoured pokemon, covered in sharp blades. They moved in perfect sync, knocking back any intrusion from their march. Darren took action immediately.

"Come on! We have to help!" And he ran off toward the army.

"Wait!" Zephyr cried out, but he already left. He sighed, and went after Darren. He found him in the middle of a battle. Some villagers were fighting, but it was a special few who were doing the most progress. Darren was clawing at there bodies with might, Kate blasted a majority of the raiders with energy, even Ivy was using her vines to keep them at bay.

But Darkrai was doing the best. He sent blasts and blasts of darkness at the opponents, even stabbing one with a dark spike. There were many on the ground, apparently having terrible nightmares. But then one large pokemon arrived, looking like a larger version of the pawniards.

"A bisharp!"

He unleashed a blade of energy at the defenders, sending them flying deeper into the village. The bisharp then addressed the crowd.

"I am General Sharp." he began, "And I was given a message to meet the pokemon here." The crowd gasped.

"The pokemon also wrote… to meet me at the center… and destroy the statue." He signalled to the pawniards to go to the statue. The villagers roared in outrage, but they were held back, and they could only watch as the pawniards, with one mighty slash, send the wobbuffet statue crashing down. They only stared in horror, until they heard a clapping.

"Well done, well done…" the voice said, then the villagers turned to look at the speaker and they gasped. It was Wigglytuff!

The general was confused.

"You're the one who sent the letter?" he asked. Wigglytuff smirked. "Not exactly…"

The bisharp narrowed his eyes. "You are lying" Wigglytuff took a step forward.

"Oh I sent the letter all right, and I was here last night. It was very hard acting… but worth… Every. Last. Minute." And then Wigglytuff changed. Where the cheerful, pink plump pokemon was, there was now a dark, sleek pokemon with long, red hair. The bisharp took a step back.

"You are one of them!" he exclaimed, "An illusion maker, a zoroark!" The zoroark smiled.

"Like I said…" she said maliciously, "It was hard acting, but now…" She held up a purple gem that was part of a necklace she wore. "I have an army!" Then she aimed the gem at General Sharp, and a beam of light, covered him. He tried to resist, falling to the ground in the process, but it was to powerful. He staggered, then stood up, his eyes dark and hollow.

"I… obey…" He moaned. The zoroark laughed. "Yes!" she said triumphantly, "He is now…"

"A shadow pokemon…" Kate finished in horror.

"He's a what?!" Darren said in disbelief, but even he could see the dark aura that was coming out of him. Suddenly, the zoroark aimed her gem at the pawniards, covering them with the dark aura, and turning them into shadow pokemon. He continued to do this, and heeded no attention to the fleeing villagers. Soon, every single one of them were shadow pokemon, their hearts as dark as the zoroark.

"Yes…" she said, "My army… is here!" A villager stepped up to her.

"Please…" he began, "Leave us in peace… we have done nothing to you…" The zoroark looked at him in disgust, and threw him into the crowd.

"Oh, I won't finish you off… yet…" Then she turned around.

"General, I am leaving now. Let no one follow me." And with that, she ran off. General Sharp turned to the village.

"You heard her…" he rasped, "Do not follow…" The pawniards then formed a wall in front of the path the zoroark went through. Most villagers ran back into the village, but Zephyr, Darren, Kate and Darkrai stayed behind.

"What do you think?" Darren said with determination in his eyes. "Should we go after her?"

Zephyr nodded. "We must stop her while we can."

"Remember though, we must be cautious." Darkrai said. Kate then spoke up.

"Don't worry. We'll persevere." She nodded to Zephyr, who was now filled with a new energy. Then they all locked eyes, then charged toward the army ahead.

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**Thanks for reading! What could the zoroark be doing? And is she alone or working for someone more dangerous? Please do the poll!**


	5. Chaos in Oozem Forest

**Sorry for the long wait - I wasn't in a writing mood - but anyway, the 5th chapter is now here! And things have spiced up since we last saw these pokemon. Will they catch the shady Zoroark? Or will the legion of shadow pokemon stop them? The answer will be found when you read the chapter… enjoy!**

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_Hah! This went better than I thought! _The Zoroark thought gleefully. _Those dim-witted pawns bent to my will easily! _Although she was running, she was very relaxed.

_Even dumb… _she thought, _They can still get a job done! _She continued until she reached a clearing in the path. She then took out a bunch of supplies from a bag she was carrying and set to work on a nearby tree. _It's best to be prepared for the worst though… _she thought with a smile. _Those villagers won't interfere with my plans… _She stared at the purple gem admirably. _And yours…_

"There's to many!"Darren cried out. Zephyr hated to admit it, but it was true. Him, Darren, Kate and Darkrai still were to small a group to fight the large mob of shadow-turned pokemon.

"We have to try!" He answered back. Kate knocked down a charging Pawniard.

"He's right!" She said, "We can't just stop here!" Darkrai looked at them.

"I'm afraid the problem at hand is to much for the four of us. We must retreat."

Kate tried to protest but the look on Darkrai's face stopped her. Then she saw something behind him.

"Darkrai!" Kate warned.

Darknrai turned just in time to block the sharp blades of the attacking Pawniard. But the rest were beginning to advance and began to attack non-stop at the four. Zephyr and the others managed to block most of the sharp blades, but some managed to get past their defences, and they soon became tired.

_There's too much… _Zephyr thought, _We can't take them all! _But just when he was about to lose hope, he heard a roar, then saw an army of villagers charging down the path into the pawniards. The pawniards managed to register surprise… right before the villagers attacked. Zephyr saw a green blur rush past him and realized it was Ivy, moving through the pandemonium with super speed. Petal was on a Pawniard, whacking at it's poor head**. **Even Furnanzo was swiping at oncoming shadow pokemon. The ones absent was Rex, Calyton and Molan.

_Where are they? _Zephyr thought worried, _their village is under attack, and it's not like them to miss a fight. _His thoughts were then interrupted by a voice.

"Zephyr!" He turned to see Ivy running toward him and the others.

"You go and find the Zoroark, we can take care of this." To prove it, she slammed an enemy to the ground with her tail.

Zephyr nodded, along with the others, and together they ran to the forest. But what they didn't know was that the general of the pawniards, Sharp, was given a message.

_Go to the forest. I am in need of your assistance. _The general then walked toward the forest, ignoring any hit to himself from the others.

_I must follow all orders… _his sick brain told him. _At any cost…_

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The first thing Zephyr noticed about the forest was the smell. It was a horrible stench, and was like a cloud that made it hard to breath.

"This is Oozem Forest." Darkrai said to explain, "Known for it's large amount of poisonous goo everywhere"

"I suggest you watch your step…" He said warningly, and when Zephyr saw the sinister puddle, he didn't need telling twice.

"We still have to walk in there." Kate said without a trace of fear. "The Zoroark is out there somewhere, and we have to find her." Zephyr knew that, but couldn't help but have a sense of dread in this terrible place. But they continued walking anyway, ready to face any danger in the trees that challenge them.

After a few minutes of walking Zephyr began to feel a little dizzy then becoming a complete headache. He found himself groaning and walking more sluggishly, but tried to stay on course. He tried to endure it for a while but it was too much a pain that he nearly fell down. He then wondered if anyone else had this feeling.

"Erm… is anyone else feeling weird inside?" He heard Kate groan.

"You too?" she exclaimed woozily, looking for something to balance on. "It's been like this forever! But what about you, Darren?" She was answered when she heard a crash on the ground, and saw Darren face down in the dirt.

"Ooooh…" Darren moaned, his voice muffled by the dirt. He then painfully stood up again. "I'm not sure I can continue onward…"

"What about you Darkrai… Darkrai?" Zephyr couldn't see him anywhere, and when he asked the others if they saw him, they were gone too! He began to panic.

_Where are they? Are they lost? Did something happen to them? _All these thoughts appeared in his head at once, making him oblivious to his surroundings, and stepped on a puddle of poison. He felt a burning sensation, then it got worst, making him scream in pain.

_C'mon Zephyr! _He thought through the pain. _Pull yourself together or you'll end up melted by ooze!_

Fortunately the pain seemed to have cleared his mind of the headache, allowing him to walk past all the obstacles and deeper into the forest.

_I must find my friends! _was the thought that lead Zephyr on. _I can't leave them here. I only hope their alright…_

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After what seemed hours Zephyr came upon a large clearing and saw a devastating sight. There was a giant pool of venomous ooze in the centre that was giving of the worst smell in the forest… and his friends were tied in ropes above it.

"Darren!" He cried out to them. "Kate! Darkrai! I'm over here!"

"Zephyr!" Darren shouted back. "The Bisharp grabbed us when we were walking!"

Zephyr then realized that there were only two ropes hanging above the pool.

"Where's Darkrai?"

"…Over here…"

Zephyr turned around in time to see General Sharp ready to slice him in half. He then moved away in time before he could get skewered.

"Let them go!" He said, trying not to tremble.

"I'm afraid your talking to the wrong person." It was the voice he heard before. He turned again to see the Zoroark, one foot on top of Darkrai.

"W-What have you done with him?!" The Zoroark looked at Zephyr, amused.

"He refused to be tied up like your friends, so I decided to knock him out for a bit. Oh, look! He's waking up!"

Darkrai began rise only to be brought down by the Zoroark's foot again.

"Z..Zephyr…" "Darkrai!"

Zephyr's fright turned into rage.

"Let them go!"

The zoroark smiled.

"Oh I'm not releasing them… unless you stop following that dream's advice."

"W-What dream?" Then he realized she was talking about the voice in his dreams. She saw the look on his face and smiled.

"Yes, that dream. Don't listen to it, don't trust it. Instead… join us. Join our army. Together, we will be unstoppable" She said it with so much strength even the General was trembling slightly.

Meanwhile Zephyr thought what she said was eerily similar to another dream he had.

"Your working for the shadow…" He realized. Then he knew what he would do. He glared at the Zoroark.

"I will NOT trust you or the shadow. I will follow the voice, and stop the wrong you've been doing; forcing pokemon to be your slaves, creating havoc and deceit everywhere! I will not follow you, so give up, and leave my friends.

There was silence, then the Zoroark spoke in an icy voice.

"If you will not join us… she pointed to Darren and Kate. "They die."

Zephyr looked at his friends in horror.

The Zoroark continued. "If you attempt to attack me, I will order Sharp to slice the ropes and drop them into the pool.

Darren and Kate looked at Zephyr, beckoning him to leave them and run. He looked back and shook his head.

_I have a plan. _And he charged… but not at the Zoroark. He made contact with General Sharp, sending him flying into the forest. The shock made the Zoroark lessen the pressure on her foot, allowing Darkrai to free himself and blast the Zoroark into the trees. Zephyr then broke the ropes, letting Darkrai catch Darren and Kate.

"Zephyr, you did it!" Darren said relieved. Kate smiled.

"Yeah, great job!" Zephyr grinned, but it melted when he saw that the zoroark was rising, fury in her eyes. She eyed them menacingly.

"You may have won this time…" She said quietly, "But I will have my revenge…" She began to leave, then turned to Zephyr.

"You better listen to the shadow Zephyr… it's already told you of doom."

Zephyr lowered his head. "Leave."

The Zoroark ran into the shadows. Zephyr looked at the others.

"We need to leave now." Before he could move, Darkrai put a hand on his shoulder.

"No. It's been a tiring day for all of us, we should stay here and get rest. I trust that the Zoroark won't come here again."

"But what about the village?"

Darkrai looked to the stars "We can only hope they have the situation under control."

Zephyr began to say something, then stopped and decided to follow his advice. He lay on the ground, sleep taking over almost immediately.

But while they slept, a pair of eyes watched them. But these eyes were kindly with a bright energy in them.

_These fella's sure look dark and sad. They need some fun! And I'll certainly cheer 'em up, or my name ain't Zeke!_

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**Looks like our four heroes are in for some fun! And what of the village? And the Zoroark? Stay tuned for the next chapter! Also, please vote on the poll, it's needed for the story!**


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